


Budding Talent

by rosesandthorons



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Dedue has Had Enough, Dimitri Is Oblivious, Felix is emotionally constipated, M/M, Not Beta Read, Sylvain is very creative ;)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-08 02:27:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21228269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosesandthorons/pseuds/rosesandthorons
Summary: Sylvain comes up with some unique names for his...weapon.





	Budding Talent

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for enabling me, tiro :)

Sylvain has never been one to learn from his past blunders, and today is no exception.

He has fallen asleep in class. Again. The last time this happened, professor Byleth made him clear weeds in the monastery all by himself. The time before that, they threatened to crash the date that Sylvain had planned later that day with a pretty girl from town. 

It did kinda hurt to see the faint hint of disappointment on the professor's face, but Sylvain's need for sleep outweighs his conscience.

Today, however, His Highness has taken it upon himself to wake Sylvain up. Forcefully.

Bruised and disoriented, Sylvain unwillingly re-enters the waking world. He realizes slowly that the classroom is much darker and almost completely empty, save for him, his assailant, and Dedue. Dimitri, who is still occupying Sylvain's personal space, stares intently at his friend with a disapproving look.

"Sylvain, you cannot keep falling asleep in class like this. It is very disrespectful to our professor."

Sylvain gets up and stretches, putting himself outside of Dimitri's hitting range."Ah, sorry Your Highness. Guess I've just been working so hard lately that it just caught up to me. It won't happen again, I promise."

Dimitri places a hand on his chin thoughtfully. "Professor Byleth has tasked me with making sure that you are not falling behind on the material that we cover in class. For the rest of the month, we are to meet in the library to review the lectures. It is my duty as the class leader to make sure that you are succeeding. As such, I will also take it upon myself to ensure that you are in your room by curfew so you can get an appropriate amount of sleep.”

_Shit._ The last thing Sylvain needs is Dimitri breathing down his neck at all hours. He’ll never be able to have an, ahem, social life.  
As for tutoring, that sounds absolutely atrocious. The professor tries really hard to make the lectures interesting, but the material sometimes is just too dull to maintain Sylvain's interest. He much prefers pursuing topics that interest him on his own time. 

“Oh, uh...you really don’t have to do that, Your Highness. I’m sure you have a lot of other responsibilities. I can catch up on the reading on my own time. And I promise to be back before curfew!” 

Sylvain makes the best puppy-dog face he could muster in a last-ditch chance to convince Dimitri to let him off the hook.

Dimitri, enigma that he is, does not succumb to Sylvain’s valiant efforts. He speaks sternly to the redhead. “Professor Byleth was very adamant. Either you study in the library with me, or you take remedial classes with Seteth. I offered my assistance because frankly, as your friend, I worry for how you would fare in a one-on-one class with Seteth.”

The mere thought of being stuck alone in a room with Seteth is enough to make Sylvain blanch. Dimitri's alternative is much more attractive, but still very troublesome.

Sylvain is just going to have to get creative.

* * *

"Please, Felix! You have to come with me. I can't be forced to sit in the library with him all by myself. I'll pull my hair out!"

Sylvain absolutely cannot spend hours in the library alone with just Dimitri and Dedue. He _needs_ backup. Felix is the perfect solution to his predicament, primarily because he could distract Dimitri with his sharp tongue. Also, Sylvain just likes having more excuses for Felix to be around. 

"Then go bald. You're not making me suffer alongside you due to your own irresponsibility." 

While his puppy-dog face won’t work on Dimitri, Sylvain knows that with enough widdling he can convince Felix. Probably.

He sidles up to Felix, pout on full display. “C’mon Fe, please?”

Felix only responds with an icy glare, which Sylvain was anticipating. In turn, Sylvain slings an arm over Felix’s shoulder and whines. "Pretty please? What if I promise to train with you, or polish your swords or something? Anything you want, I'll do for you."

"How many different ways do I have to say no for it to get through to you? Now let me go train."

"I also saw some nice hunting daggers in the market last week. I'll throw one of those in to sweeten the deal for you."

Actually Sylvain has already bought a nice dagger from that artisan with Felix in mind. The blade is an intricate damascus steel, which has mesmerizing ripples that shimmer and reflect soft hues of the rainbow in the light. The handle of the dagger is bound in a rich dark leather, making the blade easy to grip. The silver pommel, however, is Sylvain's favorite part of the dagger. Intricately carved into the metal is a mesmerizing design of interlocking triangles, which are rounded out at the tips. The merchant explained to him that it is a symbol from Dagda that represents loyalty, faith, and love.

He has been waiting for the right moment to gift it to Felix, but it looks like it must now be used as a bargaining chip.

“You are absolutely insufferable,” Felix huffs as he rolls his eyes. "But I suppose I probably should join you, if anything to make sure that the boar doesn't smash your face into the table if you fall asleep on him. I don't want to handle stable duty by myself if you end up concussed."

* * *

It is now day nine of Sylvain's mandatory library meetings with Dimitri.

As expected, Dedue also attends these study sessions, quietly supporting Dimitri's altruistic endeavor. He barely says anything, instead opting for staring ominously at Sylvain when the casanova inevitably says something saucy. Sylvain decides that a future project of his will be to make Dedue smile. It's just not healthy to be so stony-faced all the time.

Although he is usually late (and grimy) due to his intense training regime, Felix has also surprisingly shown up to roughly half of these tutoring sessions, to Sylvain’s utmost delight.

Today, Dimitri is attempting to teach Sylvain the advantages and disadvantages of certain weapon types. 

Annotated drawings of various weapons are scattered across the table in front of Sylvain. Dimitri has been droning on about some outdated theory on how swords have a tactical advantage over axes, lances over swords, and axes over lances.

"Now, the professor emphasized that you should always be in-tune with your weapon. You should be able to feel its strengths and weaknesses and compensate accordingly. If your weapon is close to breaking, you will need to employ a new strategy to cover your weak spot.”

A mischievous grin appears on Sylvain’s face. 

“No need to worry about that, Your Highness. There is no one who is more in-tune with their weapon than I am.”

He pointedly makes eye contact with Felix, who is seated directly across from him. Felix averts his gaze and scoffs, obviously not believing his lazy friend's declaration. "That is a bold statement for someone who rarely goes to the training grounds."

Without hesitation, Sylvain winks and leans forward, attempting to invade Felix's personal space. “Don't worry, the Lance of Ruin sees plenty of action."

Felix frowns and leans back, crossing his arms over his chest. Whatever it is that Sylvain is up to, he knows it isn't good. He is beginning to regret his decision to come to the library.

Relentless, Sylvain continues. “You'll be happy to know that I also practice with my other weapons: the Shaft of Destruction, the Spire of Annihilation, and the Pillar of Undoing.”

Dimitri nods his head enthusiastically. "That is great, Sylvain! I am happy to hear that you are taking these lessons seriously. I have heard that naming your weapons can tap into an intense power. I would like to test your skills some time."

The future king of Faerghus pauses for a moment and strokes his chin thoughtfully. "I do have to say, those weapon names do not sound familiar to me. Are they currently in the convoy?"

If Sylvain weren't as practiced in the fine art of tomfoolery as he is, he would have lost it at Dimitri's sheer obliviousness.

Both Dedue and Felix are very unamused. In fact, Felix takes the liberty of kicking Sylvain's shin under the table. Hard.

Shocked and in pain, Sylvain yelps and jolts backward in his chair, almost completely tipping over. A few disgruntled students studying at nearby tables glare at him. 

Sylvain has already committed to this, so he is going to go the whole way with it. Once he recovers from the initial shock of Felix’s attack, he flashes a dazzling smile at the prince.

“Sorry Dimitri, but it appears that there is someone who is a bit more eager to test out how I handle my weapons.”

He punctuates his sentence with a wink directed at Felix, whose face is beginning to turn red. Sylvain would like to think that it is because Felix is turned on at the thought of playing with his weapon, rather than because of his blood pressure increasing due to rage.

Dedue clears his throat."Your Highness, I believe it would be in everyone's best interest to end the lesson here for today. I implore you to disregard what Sylvain had mentioned earlier." He looks disapprovingly at Sylvain as he begins to gather the scattered papers on the table.

"I suppose we are causing quite a commotion. Sylvain, I trust you will continue to review what we have gone over today. I will see you tomorrow after class."

Within moments, Dimitri and Dedue exit the library. Now, only Felix and Sylvain remain.

“You are absolutely appalling,” Felix says scathingly as he stands up and makes his way to the exit.

Sylvain catches up to him and places a hand playfully on Felix’s shoulder.“Hey, it got the lesson to end, didn’t it? Let’s go get some food.”

“Fine, but you’re giving me half of your steak.”

* * *

The war against the Empire has been raging on for five years. The forces who fight in the name of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus have taken over the ruins of Garreg Mach a few months ago, united once again by the enigmatic professor-turned-goddess, Byleth.

Felix sits on a bench in the training grounds. He has just finished his training regime for the day, so now he is taking the time to relax. For him, relaxing involves carefully polishing his collection of blades with the high-quality oil he gets from a renowned blacksmith near Magdred. The methodical back-and-forth motions of the cloth over each gleaming blade allows Felix to clear his mind.

He reaches for his final and most prized blade--a hunting dagger. He holds it in his hand, running his thumb idly along the smooth leather handle.

__

_It is nearing the end of the month of the Lone Moon in 1181. Edelgard’s forces have begun to march upon Garreg Mach, sending the officer’s academy into a frenzy. Sylvain’s meetings with Dimitri in the library had been cancelled so that the Blue Lions could prepare for the upcoming battle._

_The night before they were set to battle, Felix is woken up to insistent knocking on his door. Annoyed, he gets up and opens the door, ready to berate whoever is on the other side._

_“You’re awake.”_

_It’s Sylvain, looking unusually serious. He is holding something in his hands, but it is too dark for Felix to make out what it is._

_“What do you want, Sylvain?” There is no bite to Felix’s tone. He can’t bring himself to be annoyed anymore. Not with the emotions threatening to overwhelm him. He is scared that this fight is going to be futile. He is scared of losing his friends. Scared of losing Sylvain._

_He gestures for Sylvain to enter the room and lights a candle. Sylvain walks in and sits down on the foot of Felix’s bed. _

_The warm glow of the candlelight flickers and bounces off of Sylvain’s hair, making it appear as if it were also made of the same flame. _

_He is breathtaking, Felix realizes._

_Wordlessly, he sits next to Sylvain and wills his heartbeat to slow down. _

_Sylvain angles himself to face Felix. Their thighs are touching now. “I’ve been meaning to give you something,” Sylvain starts. He offers the item to Felix. It is a small mahogany box with silver details on the corners. “Tomorrow we may actually be facing our deaths. I don’t want anything to go unspoken between us.”_

_Felix’s chest tightens as Sylvain voices the concerns that have been bouncing around his head since it was announced that Adrestian soldiers were spotted marching towards the monastery. He doesn’t know what to say to Sylvain. He’s afraid that if he speaks, he might start to cry. Instead, he just accepts the box._

_“Open it.” Sylvain speaks just above a whisper. _

_Slowly, he opens the box._

_It’s a dagger._

_Gingerly, he inspects the blade. The detailwork is astonishing. It is too beautiful to think of actually using it as a weapon, Felix muses._

_He brushes his thumb over the pommel, feeling the intricate detailing etched into the metal._

_“What is this supposed to mean, Sylvain?” _

_Felix doesn’t recognize his own voice. He is quiet, unsure, vulnerable. _

_Sylvain tenderly cups his hand over Felix’s as it studies the dagger._

_“It is a renewal of our promise. The symbol on the pommel represents the intertwining of our lives.”  
Felix could feel Sylvain’s warm gaze on him, but he is afraid to face him, to bare his emotions to him._

_“I care about you more than anything else in this world, Fe.”_

_Sylvain removes his hand from Felix’s and uses it now to gently tilt Felix’s face towards him. Felix could feel the skin on his jaw tingle where Sylvain’s calloused fingers are touching. Looking at Sylvain is like looking at the sun. He is so dazzling, so brilliant that it hurts. His hazel eyes smolder with such honesty and raw emotion that Felix finds himself leaning closer, drawn to the irresistible warmth radiating from Sylvain._

_“If you die tomorrow, I’ll kill you,” Felix breathes before he presses his lips to Sylvain’s._

__

“I shouldn’t be surprised that you’re still here. We might as well just say this place is your living quarters at this point.”

Sylvain’s voice takes Felix out of his reverie. He could still feel his lips tingling, just like they did after that very first kiss.

“Ah, is that my Dirk of Decimation? I’m glad to see that you’re taking such good care of it.”

Felix contemplates hitting Sylvain with the butt of the blade at his comment. Before he causes damage to his prized possession, he sets the dagger back in its box. He then stands up and glares at Sylvain.

“You are insatiable,” he hisses. In moments like this, he really wishes that he were taller than Sylvain so he could be even more imposing. 

Sylvain does not seem bothered by Felix’s icy greeting. He closes the space between them, placing a chaste kiss on his lover’s lips. Felix instantly melts into Sylvain's warmth. 

He grins mischievously as he pulls back. “You know, I wouldn’t mind some private lessons with you. I can even help you name your weapons, if you’d like. I’m quite the prolific name-giver, after all.”

**Author's Note:**

> and somehow this also became mildly angsty at the end?? sorry for that :')
> 
> I appreciate any feedback! 
> 
> come say hi to me on twitter! @rosesandthorons


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